Obama Signs LGBT Hiring Executive Order Without Religious Exemption

President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Monday that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT people.

It did not include any broad religious exemption for religious employers, which had been sought by religious leaders in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. White House officials had said Friday that the order would not include such an exemption.

Obama pledged to enact the order after the House failed to act on the Senate-passed Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people more broadly.